Yara Haridy, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago, investigates tiny fossils known as 'fish flakes', which appear in Cambrian rocks. Unlike traditional fossils, these minuscule remains help scientists understand the evolutionary transition of vertebrates from soft-bodied ancestors to armored forms. While studying these fossils to uncover missing links, Haridy reevaluated Anatolepis, previously thought to be the earliest vertebrate, revealing it was an invertebrate instead. Her work aims to clarify the evolutionary journey from simple organisms to the first vertebrates.
These fossils are too tiny to spot, let alone excavate on site. Instead, geologists take layers of rock and dissolve them in acid, revealing the bones and other organic bits left behind.
Haridy hoped that the fish flakes might help fill in the gap: a hypothetical vertebrate somewhere between 'the squishy guys and the fully formed fish.'
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